Compare Dell Latitude E7480 with E7490.

I want to compare the Dell Latitude E7480 laptop with its replacement, the E7490. All things being equal, is there any great difference between the two? If the 7480 has the same features at a lower price point, is there any reason to get the 7490 instead?

I'm looking at both laptops on the Dell small business outlet site. They have good deals on refurbished, scratch and dent, and returns. They all come with the same warranty as new.

The customer I'm buying this laptop for is not a power user, but wants to be able to take advantage of new hardware as it becomes available. We need some idea of the relative value of various features.

For standard laptops, not 2 in 1s, how useful is touch versus non-touch.
I won't get one with resolution below 1280X1024. But some of the 7480s come with 2560 X 1440 touch (and gorilla glass). Is it something to jump at?
USB C versus Thunderbolt 3.
NVME versus standard SSD drives.
(NVME are blazing fast, but how much difference does this make to an average user?) How important in terms of the future?
They both take DDR4 memory. Looking at user manuals, memory seems to be a relatively simple upgrade on both. To me a lower amount of memory, 4GB versus 8 or 8 versus 16 isn't a deal breaker. Do you agree?
6th versus 7th versus 8th generation Intel processors.
Windows 10 Home versus Pro. (almost all are Pro but I just notices a Win10 Home. Is that a deal breaker?)

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After browsing the two, it really comes down to what price range is your client looking to spend. Features are very similar for both. It looks like the 7490 supports the 8th gen CPUs. Whereas the 7480 only has the 6th and 7th gen CPUs. Not sure if they can be swapped out for next gen or newer gen CPUs in the future. So something to think about as far as longevity goes. If this client doesn't need NVME I would suggest no at this time. It's fast but cost per GB is not worth it unless you need the speed and it sounds like this client is just looking for a major upgrade but doesn't need it for that. Touchscreens don't appear to be an option for the 14" screens. I haven't looked into the smaller screens. I personally like the ability to use the touch screen especially if you are used to the new smartphones and tablets with touch screen. I miss that ability on my laptop. I do not have touch screen. But it is great when you figure out all the shortcut features with the touch ability it is definitely an experience! Still can't throw away my mouse though lol.
So if your client has Thunderbolt devices then that might be something to look at. IE: iPhone or iPad etc. Thunderbolt drive enclosures.
Otherwise USB C is probably more widely accepted with the new non Apple Smartphones and devices.

When purchasing laptops and such for my clients, I like to establish how much they want to spend, then discuss how long they want it to 'realistically' last (forever surrreeee) but most say 5-8 years. In which you'll need to discern what the need vs want is. If they need or will potentially need in 5-8 years what does that look like? more ram? more drive space? faster CPU?
I generally suggest spending more for CPU so that in the 5-8 years the CPU will give them a better life for the laptop. (CPUs are not easily changeable in this unit without almost a full teardown.)
RAM is easily upgradeable on this unit. However again same question in 5-8 years will that ram be available?
Home vs Pro? If this is a sole computer that is not going to connect to a domain, then Home should be fine.

I read "customer is "not a power user" and you are about to buy a machine south of 1,000 USD? That is an expensive machine for not being a power user. Any new machine you get for about 800 USD should have a 256 GB SSD (yes, fast enough), a full HD display and also battery endurance of a (realistic) 5 hours while weighing not more than 2 kg. Consider buying a different model for him - he is NO power user.

If all goodies like x years of warranty or having +512 GB of fast storage would apply, you will still normally not need to spend that much.
Having a high end resolution on a 14" display is also nothing that someone needs who is not using CAD or similar software. Full HD is best for others with that display size.

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well - it's an endless topic - what to choose
if you take another viewpoint, you get another result, eg if you say, ok, i'll buy every 3-4 years MAX a new system, then you can go cheap, low end; BUT, if you want a realistic 5-6 years out of it, without much problems - you need a business class model

Alan SilvermanOwnerAuthor Commented: 2018-09-01

For years now I have gotten Dell Latitudes with three year warranties whenever possible. Business machines are better made and if something does go wrong, next day onsite can be huge. This woman is a journalist, an older woman who travels a lot. She isn't frail, but a lighter machine is good. With older individuals (many of my clients) who have never become comfortable with computers, any changes throw them for a loop. She is lost without her laptop. She doesn't have lots of money, but she can afford a decent computer. She would like it to last six years. That's how long her current Latitude laptop has lasted. I also think that if you can get a lot more function for a bit more money, spring for it. And I'm a bug about backups, full image especially. Thunderbolt external drives probably aren't very affordable now. I wonder how much they will cost in two or three years. Those are the types of things I consider when recommending laptops for clients.
Thanks,
Al

PS I'm becoming more and more confused about how Expert Exchange gauges your contributions. I liked the old way, with points. When it comes time to close this I hope I don't leave anyone out. Please forgive me if I do. I appreciate all of your opinions.

If money is no problem at all - always get the best machine. Or if you want to save, weigh the things you lose with a cheaper machine. Any laptop that costs about 1,000 is normally more than enough for a standard user even for usage of 6 years - most optional features that make it cost even more are luxury items like ultra thinness, battery life of above 8 hours, ultra-speedy components. Your choice.

We generally do not buy this. The frequency of loss, spills, drops and like damage is lower than hardware problems, and the cost of coverage is not worth it to us. A single user may think differently. It is a personal decision.

Basically the accidental damage is more towards your client. It's insurance in case of... That being said I would read the fine print on there coverage and go over it with your client. If they travel or like to transport the laptop around, it might be worth looking into it. But if they are careful and have generally had none of the issues then perhaps it is not worth it for them. It's $30 a year. Less than 3 bucks a month.